Towel cabinet



June 24, 1930. F. M. STEINER 1,765,630

TOWEL CABINET Filed Jan. l5, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l l /J Z m TTQENE vs June 24 1930. F. M. sTElNER TOWEL CABINET Filed Jan. 13, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fun/@Liar FEANKMJra/Nfk 3 .4 ,HJW-M rv-oeNErs Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED- srri-Es` meant P Pila f.

FRANK M. STELNER, or MINNEAPOLIS, ivriNNrsorA, AssreNor; To srnrNEn SALE COMPANY, or SALT LAKE Grrr, Uren, A ooRPoRArioN or UTAH Y Application led January 13, 1927.

My invention relates to the type of cabinet that is adapted to rest upon the floor of a washroom or other place where the cabinet may be kept and the object of the invention 5 is to provide means whereby the attendant in loading or filling the cabinet with a clean web of towel can adjust the length of the loop of clean 'towel and have this length remain the same throughout the use of the" web. ln

i some instances, it may be desired to make this loop a little longer than in other cases and to provide for this the attendant will regul'ate the adjustment of the web when the cabinet is loaded so that the desired length of loop will be formed and thereafter the lengtl'i of this loop will remain the same until the web is exhausted.

Other objects of the invention ywill appear from the following detailed description.

The invention' consists generally in various coiistructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

. In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a towel cabinet embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional View showing the position assumed bythe towel loop when it is drawn out of the cabinet to the using position;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view'l showing the means employed for concealing the soiled end of the towel web when the clean portion of the web has been exhausted; and

Figure 4 isa vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

In the drawing 2 represents the side walls of thecabinet; 3, the front wall; and 4, a rear wall, thecabinet being supported by suitable legs 5. It preferably has a closed top 6 and a mirror 7 at an angle' therein, between which mirror and the front wall 3 is an opening` 8 through which the user may see and have ac-A cess to the towel web.v A chamber or compartment 9 is formed in the cabinet below the opening'S and thefloor 10 of this chain-A ber forms the top of a compartment or recess 11 in which the bolt'or roll ofcl'ean towel 12 is placed. This bolt of clean towel is adapted Serial No. 160,964.

to roll back and forth on the floor 13 of the compartment 11 as it is unwound and is engagedfby a stop 14 which prevents the roll from acidentally passing out of the compartment through the opening 15 provided in the rear thereof. rlie web of clean towel is carried upwardly from the compartment 11 against the rear wall 4C which preferably is set in from the edges of the side walls so that the clean webof towel cannot by any possibility rub against the wall of the washroom or other surface which might soil the clean portion of the towel. An opening 16 is provided between the wall a of the top 6 of the cabinet and through this opening the clean web of towel is carried to pass over a feed roll 17 that is mounted in bearings in the side wall of the cabinet. A second feed roll 18 is provided in parallel relation with the roll 17 and spaced therefrom and gears 19 and 2O connect these rolls for simultaneous movement thereof. The rolls have surfaces adapted to adhere to the towel web, and these surfaces ma-y be sanded or of suitable material such as rubber, so that the web of towel will not slip thereon and through their intergeared relation the rolls will be driven in opposite directions and being of the same diameter will have the same peripheral speed. 151s the web in Contact with the rough-end surface of the rolls cannot slipv thereon, it is evident if the clean web is passed over the roll 17 and a depending loop formed thereinand then carried over the roll 18 and the rolls revolved by a pull of the user on the towel web, that the length of loop formedin the web will remain the same throughout the operation ol unwinding the clean towel web and winding it upon the soiled towel roll. Thus the attendant in loa'dingthe cabinet and wishing to provide for a certain length of loop of clean towel may stretch the clean web into Contact with the rolls 17 and 18 allowing a loop of the desired length to depend from theserolls from within the cabinet and when this has been done the pull of the used on the clean web to revolvey the roll 17 will impart a corresponding movement to the roll 18 and cause a corresponding lengthof towel to pass over the roll so that the length of loop remains the same with each operation of the user. Pret erably a tension roll 21 is provided in the upper portion of the cabinet to bear on the clean ".veb and cause it to lit snugly or adhere closely to the surface of the roll 1T. l also prefer to provide a step device in connection with these feed rolls comprising a lre 22 adapted to engage a plunger 23 that is normally held in a retracted position by a spring 24, A stop 25 slidably mounted in the roll 18 normally engages a stop 28 and prevents operation oi the towel. rolls until the pin is disengaged trom the stop by the inward movement of the plunger Q3. The operation oi' the lrey 22 will therefore release the feed rolls and allow one complete revolution oi' the roll 18 when the pin will. again engage the stop 26 and. prevent further movement until the plunger is operated by the movement of the hey. This lock device is shown and described in a pending application filed by Steiner, Vlasileslri and lwiurdo, Ser. No. 15,881, iiled March 18, 1925, and l inale no claim to the saine herein. ln the lower portion of the chamber 9 is a third roll 27 also having a roughened surface, prelierably by means of sanding, and this roll has a sprocket belt drive connection 28 with the roll 18 so that its movement will be simultaneous with that of the rolls 17 and 18. A

take-up roll is mounted to slide in guidesV 29 in the side walls of the cabinet, and on this 'take-up roll the end of the soiled towel is wound and rests by gravity against the roll Q7 so that when the roll Q7 is revolved the roll 85 will also be revolved to wind the web of soiled towel thereon. Preferably a roll 30 is provided near the rear wall of the cabinet in position to engage the web of soiled towel and exert suilicient tension thereon so that the soiled towel roll will be drawn snugly with respect to its convolutions and will also be rolled smoothly and evenly. From the foregoing description, it will be understood that when the rolls 17 and 18 are operated to deliver a web oi" clan towel to the user standing in liront oi' the cabinet, the soiled towel feed roll the lower portion the cabinet/will besimultaneously operated so that a corresponding length of soiled. towel will be wound on the soiled towel roll, and when the clean web is exhausted the attendant will remove `the soiled towel for return to the laundry and place a roll or bolt of clean towel in the compartment for that purpose in the lower portion oit the cabinet.

The end of the towel web when the clean portion has been exhausted would ordinarily hang down in the cabinet over the roll 18 in the position substantially as shown in Figure 3 and unless 'the attendant promptly changed the towels and loaded the cabinet with a clean one, person wishing to use n the towel migl t reach through the opening 1 in the iront or the cabinet and grasp the soned towel, and even it this did not happen the soiled web of towel would hang down in the rear of the opening` and be in plain sight of anyone in front of the cabinet and detract from the appearance of the cabinet. I, therefore, provide a gate 31 in the rear ot the opening in the front oi: the cabinet, this gate being eccentrically mounted preferably by means of a clamp 32 that is secured to one end of the gate and having ears 83 which are pivoted to the -side walls ot the cabinet. This eccentric mounting of the gate causes its lower end to swing farther bacl into the cabinet nearer the rear wall thereof and holds the web ot soiled towel a greater distance from the front or opening in the cabinet and thus renders this unsightly portion of the towel less conspicuous and the gate has the further function of operating by gravity to pull the soiled end of the towel through the opening in the iront of the cabinet and into the chamber above the soiled towel roll so that under no circumstances when the user releases the web will it hang down through the opening in front of the cabinet in an lunsightly way and detract from the appearance of the cabinet. Just as soon as the user releases the web after the clean portion thereof is eX- hausted the weight ot the gate 31 will immediately draw this web back into the cabinet where itwill be substantially invisible and where it cannot be readily drawn out.

Y It will be understood that this means for regulating the length oi' the clean towel loop while shown in connection with a floor cabinet may also be utilized, it desired, in a cabinet lrnown as the wall type or one that is tened to the wall instead of standing upon the floor. I do not, therefore, wish to be conlined in the use of the feed rolls for'this purpose to the particular type of cabinet illustrated in this application.

l claimras my invention:

1. A towel cabinet having an openingin its front wall, a pair of feed rolls in said cabinet having substantially the same diameter and also having adhering surfaces and inter-geared for the same peripheral speed, a third roller having substantially the same diameter as the iirst mentioned rollers and geared thereto, a take up roll restingl on the third roller, the web of clean towel being adapted to be' carried over one roll and formed into a depending loop and then carried over another roll and thence led to the take up roll whereby a pull on the loop would cause the same travel on all the rolls and the towel loop when formed will remain the same length throughout the feed of the web,

a device pivoted in the upper portion of the cabinet and adapted to hang down in said loop, said device being swingable through said opening to return the port-ion of the loop after the same has been pulled through the opening by the user and released.

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2. A towel cabinet having' an opening in its front wall and a chamber for a supply of clean towel in the lower portion of said cabinet, first and second feed rolls of substantially the same size in the upper portion of said cabinet having adhering surfaces and a driving connection between them for simultaneous movement, a third roller geared to the first mentioned rolls and a take up roll resting thereon, the web of clean towel beinv adapted to be carried upwardly and over the first of said feed rolls and then formed into a loop in the rear of said opening and passed over the second feed roll and thence led to said take up roll, the pull of the user on the web delivering the towel and feeding a corresponding length over the second roll, the loop formed in the towel web remaining the same length throughout the `feed of tne clean towel web.

3. A towel cabinet having a delivery opening in its front wall, a clean towel roll, feed rolls of substantially the same diameter in the rear of said opening geared together and over which the web of clean towel may be carried, the construction being such thata loop of towel may be maintained between the `feed rolls in the rear of said opening and a downwardly hanging pivoted device in the cabinet adapted to hang within the loop of the towel and draw the soiled ends of the web within the cabinet whenthe'clean end of the web has been used and released.

4;. A towel cabinet having a delivery opening in its front wall, geared together feed rolls of substantially the same size in the rear of said opening over which the web of clean towel may be carried, the construction being such that a loop of the towel mayv be maintained below said rolls in the rear of said opening and a swinging gate pivoted in the cabinet back of said opening and adapted to hang between the forward and rear por tions of said loop and adapted to be drawn forwardly through said opening when the loop is pulled out of a using position, said gate being operative when the loop is released to pull it back through said opening within the cabinet. i

5. A towel cabinet having a delivery openin in its front wall, a feed roll in the rear of said opening over which a web of clean towel may be carried, a second feed roll of substantially the same diameter as the first meni tioned roll in the upper portion of said cabinet geared to said first mentioned roll, the construction being such that a loop of the towel web may be formed and maintained of substanially the same length below said rolls and drawn outwardly through said opening to a using position, oscillatable means pivoted in the cabinet with its lower portion adapted to hang in said loop said means be ing adapted to engage the soiled end portion of the web when it has been used and released by the used and the clean web exhausted and draw said soiled end back into the cabinet and conceal it from view through said delivery opening.

6. A towel cabinet comprising a casing having an opening in its upper front portion, a pair of feed rolls in the upper portion of the casing of substantially the same diameter and geared together for simultaneous movement, a support for a supply of clean towel in the lower portion of the casing, the space above and between said feed rolls being substantially unobstructed, whereby a web of clean towel may be stretched over one of said rolls to depend in a loop below said rolls and thence over the other of said rolls and said rolls being adapted through their uniform diameter and peripheral speed to maintain said loop in substantially the same length throughout the use of the towel, a third roll having a driving connection with said first named rolls and a take up roll whereon the web of soiled towel may be wound for contact with said third roll.

7 A towel cabinet comprising a casing, a pair of feed rolls geared together for simultaneous operation mounted in said casing, a support for a supply of'clean towel from which the clean towel web may be stretched over one of said rolls and thence to depend in a loop below said rolls and thence over said second roll, the front of said casing having an opening through which a towel user may grasp and pull forward the loop of clean towel, and a swinging plate pivoted within said ycasing between the forward and rear portions of said loop and normally adapted to bear on the rear portion of said loop, said plate being adapted to be drawn forwardly when the user pulls on the towel and to withdraw the loop into the casing when the user releases the towel.

ln witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of January, 1927.

FRANK M. STEINER. 

